‘Cleveland, this is for you!’ Remembering the Cavaliers championship 9 years later

CLEVELAND (WJW) — As this year’s NBA playoffs are wrapping up soon (sadly without the Cleveland Cavaliers playing for the championship), it’s best to look back at a happier time.

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It feels like yesterday, but in fact it’s been nine whole years since the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first ever team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals.

The victory over the Golden State Warriors (kindly wiping that smile off Draymond Green’s face) ended the decades-long championship drought for Cleveland sports teams and catapulted LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and the rest of the crew into essential Northeast Ohio sainthood.

When Akron’s own James screamed the now famous phrase, “Cleveland, this is for you!” following the game, a whole legion of Cleveland fans around the country wept and cheered along with him. When Smith refused to put a shirt on for what seemed like a whole summer in honor of the win, it felt right and proper. Whenever the long-since traded Irving comes back to town, he’s remembered for his important 3-pointer at the end of Game 7 and not the way he left the team.

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Let’s take a look back at the big 2016 win and the subsequent victory parade that brought more than a million people to downtown Cleveland in the photo gallery below:

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 19: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after defeating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 19, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 22: Cleveland fans wait in a parking garage at the Jack Casino prior to the start of the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors to bring the first professional sports championship to the city of Cleveland since 1964. (Photo by Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)

FILE – In this June 19, 2016, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, center, celebrates with teammates after Game 7 of basketball’s NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif. It was quite a year for James, who powered Cleveland to its own comeback from a 3-1 deficit against Golden State for the city’s first major professional sports championship since 1964. He tried to cheer the Indians to a second title for Cleveland, but they fell just short. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Fans hold up a sign waiting for the Cleveland Cavaliers to arrive at a rally, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers made history by overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals and end the city’s 52-year drought without a professional sports championship. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 22: Cleveland fans celebrate during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors to bring the first professional sports championship to the city of Cleveland since 1964. (Photo by Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)

Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, right, and Kyrie Irving hug during a rally Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers made history by overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals and end the city’s 52-year drought without a professional sports championship. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue acknowledges the crowd as he speaks at a rally, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers made history by overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals and end the city’s 52-year drought without a professional sports championship. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Iman Shumpert #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers throws beads to the crowd during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

J.R. Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers takes a photo as the crowd cheers during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

Fans look on from a parking garage near a sign reading “J.R.’s Shirt” during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

Fans look on from a parking garage near a sign reading “R.I.P. 1964” during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates with fans during the Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 championship victory parade and rally on June 22, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

No matter what else happens in Cleveland professional sports, we’ll always have this.

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‘Cleveland, this is for you!’ Remembering the Cavaliers championship 9 years later

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